


A Most Unbecoming Trait

by PaintingWithDarkness



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Bluepulse, Emotions, Feelings, M/M, poor jaime, this is angsty at some parts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-04-03 17:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21486046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaintingWithDarkness/pseuds/PaintingWithDarkness
Summary: Jaime's unsure what the strange feeling is inside of him every time he sees Bart and Eduardo together.
Relationships: Bart Allen/Jaime Reyes
Comments: 7
Kudos: 82





	1. Jealousy (1)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluepulsebluepulse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluepulsebluepulse/gifts).

> Jealousy is such a nasty feeling.

**_Jealousy_****_(1)_****_:_** _resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, etc., or against another’s success or advantage itself._

Jaime had always considered himself a pretty easy guy to get along with. He was intelligent, but not to the point of being cocky, laid-back, but not lazy, and kind to everyone who deserved it. He always tried to help out where he could, and took the Golden Rule a step further, treating others  _ better _ than he would want to be treated. He wasn’t a person who lost his temper easily, held resentments, or used violence where he could use words instead. Most people told Jaime that he was the epitome of what a boy his age should be. So the thing that didn’t make sense was why Eduardo Dorado Jr. seemed to hold a grudge against him. 

As far as Jaime could recall, he’d never acted rudely towards the other boy or intentionally done anything to upset or offend him. In fact, Jaime was actually ignoring a lot of the things that  _ Ed _ had done to  _ him _ in order to try having an amicable relationship with the other Latino. If anything, Jaime should have been the one holding a grudge against Ed. Not the other way around. 

Ed had “stolen” Jaime’s two best friends. Granted, neither Tye nor Bart belonged to Jaime in any way, but he had been friends with both of them long before Ed came into the picture. The whole Reach invasion had set Jaime back leaps and bounds in so many different ways that his head was still spinning. 

He’d been friends with Tye since they were both in primary school. They used to hang out all the time together, making the trip to and from school on their skateboards, sharing lunch periods together, coordinating school schedules so that they had the same classes, and goofing off together on weekends. Then the Reach had come to earth, kidnapped Tye, and used Jaime as their means to “connect” with the human race. Ed just so happened to be in the wrong place at the right time it seemed, because he had been kidnapped the same night Tye had. The two had apparently “bonded” over their shared experience of torture and the resulting time spent at S.T.A.R. after their rescue (which Jaime had been a part of, thank you very much).

Even after the Runaways’ escape from the lab, Jaime hadn’t been able to completely win back Tye as his friend. Showing up in the bugsuit with orders from Nightwing to bring them back to the place they had just liberated themselves from certainly hadn’t helped. He’d tried to show Tye that he knew what they were going through by armoring down, but his actions had only had the opposite effect. Tye had already been wary of Blue Beetle, even if he was a hero working with the Justice League. Jaime revealing his identity had only allowed Tye to associate his civilian persona with the Reach as well. Since then, Tye had shrunk away from Jaime as a friend and grown closer to Ed, Virgil, and Asami. Now on weekends when Jaime asked Tye to hang out with him, it was always, “Sorry bro, but I already made plans to hang out with the Runaways. Maybe next weekend?” except by the time next Saturday rolled around, Jaime was off having to save a town halfway across the country from Shimmer and Mammoth, or Icicle Jr. Not exactly something he could shirk responsibilities on to go do a few kickflips and ollies in the skatepark with his friend. 

With Bart at least, there had been the team. In fact if it weren’t for the team, Jaime never would have met the speedster. Bart was the majority of the reason Jaime had been freed from the Reach in the first place. He owed him big. Letting the younger teen steal his Chicken Whizees and buying him extra food when they went out to eat together was the least Jaime could do. And despite the fact that Bart had only originally taken an interest in Jaime because of the Reach, they had developed a real friendship at the end. Jaime couldn’t count the number of hours they’d spent together out in the El Paso desert playing tag, blowing up rocks, creating pictures in the sand, and watching the stars. Outside of school and superheroing, they spent time at each others’ houses at least once a week, watching movies or having dinner with one another’s families. Jaime’s parents practically considered Bart their second son. Bianca had even outrightly told Bart every time he’d offered to compensate them for feeding him. He argued that people in the future didn’t give away food for free, and that feeding a speedster was expensive. While both may have been true, Jaime knew Bart was only using them as excuses. Bart was just polite and kind in his nature. Jaime didn’t expect Bart to give him or his family anything in return. He had already saved Jaime’s life, and he continued to do so over and over again during team missions. Bart had saved him from quite a few close calls, and Jaime was doing his best to return the favor. He had hoped that by branching out and becoming part of the Outsiders, he would get the chance to repay Bart with less teammates in the way to interfere. The only issue now was that Ed had joined the team, and was attempting to attach himself to Bart by the hip. 

Despite the consecutive rescue of the Runaways and some of the team from the Reach, Bart hadn’t really talked to any of them, until he started volunteering at the Metahuman Youth Center. Once Bart had started high school, he’d needed to find places to donate his time to meet the volunteer hour requirements for his school. At first he’d asked Jaime if his mother could get him a spot volunteering at the hospital where she worked, but unfortunately, things hadn’t worked out. MHYC had been the only other option, and it was there where he’d really started talking to and getting to know Eduardo. The two had become fast friends.

Jaime didn’t mind Tye and Bart having other friends besides him (they were both entitled to do so), but they had both been his best friends, and now Jaime didn’t really have anyone else. If he was being honest, he wasn’t exactly the most social creature. Tye and Bart had always been the more outgoing ones in the relationship and the ones who had originally initiated friendships with him. He and Tye had bonded over skateboarding and school, and he and Bart had bonded over shared trauma, and the struggles that came with being superheroes. Other than those things, Jaime really didn’t have much in his life anyway. Without Bart and Tye to hang out with, Jaime was pretty much left on his own. 

Eduardo, unfortunately, was at an advantage. Now that Jaime was in college, he didn’t have much free time to spend hanging out with friends or doing leisure activities. Wanting to be a dentist, he’d chosen a rigorous major with difficult classes and plenty of homework. His life now consisted of sleeping, eating, studying, and superhero work. Other than missions with the Outsiders, Jaime rarely saw Bart, and Tye was in a different state for college altogether. Eduardo on the other hand, had all the time in the world. With teleportation powers, Ed could easily travel across state lines- no zeta tube required. Additionally, the difficulty of his school work was nowhere near the level of Jaime’s. Jaime was in college, and Ed was still in high school. Rather than having his nose buried in a textbook, Ed was goofing off on his weekends, hanging out with Bart at the Youth Center. Even on missions, Jaime couldn’t hang out with Bart one-on-one because Eduardo was now a part of the team. 

It wasn’t in Jaime’s nature to be confrontational, or to start fights, but he couldn’t help feeling a little threatened. His two best friends were now also best friends with Eduardo, and the younger boy had the advantage of being able to spend more time with them than Jaime could afford. The natural course of things and common sense told Jaime that eventually, his friendships with Bart and Tye would no longer hold as strong. It was only expected that he would grow apart from them due to the lack of time spent together while Eduardo’s own friendships with them strengthened. Jaime didn’t want to be the backup friend. He wanted to have those close relationships with Bart and Tye. He wanted to be the friend they would chose to go to with all of their problems, and the person they would trust not to tell their secrets. His role was being stolen by Eduardo, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. 

Jaime knew he had to maintain a good relationship with Ed, due to the fact that they had to work together on missions, so he kept his mouth shut, but it didn’t stop the feelings that raced through him every time the other Latino was near. It always started with a squirming sensation, settling just about where his intestines were. Then his blood starting boiling, and sometimes all Jaime could see was red. Khaji Da had told him numerous times what the emotion Jaime was experiencing was, but Jaime always chose to ignore the bug. There was no way the AI was right. It just wasn’t in his nature. Jaime obviously knew there was a problem, but he had no intentions of acting out on his feelings. It wasn’t as bad as Khaji Da liked to put it. As long as Jaime kept it all in his head, he was entitled to feel however he wanted. Jaime wasn’t going to make a stupid decision based on another person’s actions. If Ed wanted to compete with Jaime for Bart and Tye’s friendship, Jaime was going to step up to the plate, and he was going to win. 


	2. Jealousy (2)

** _Jealousy_ ** ** _(2)_ ** ** _:_ ** _ vigilance in maintaining or guarding something. _

Jaime would be lying to himself if he said the odd feelings that came about when he saw Ed weren’t getting stronger. It was extremely difficult for him to watch the other boy grow so close to his friends while he only seemed to grow further away. Unfortunately, he’d had a falling out with Tye for the time being, due to a blow up they’d had over the phone. Jaime would say it was mainly caused by the stress of school on both of their parts, but Tye also had his mother to worry about (because he couldn’t there to protect her from the abusive men she tended to bring home), and Jaime had the responsibilities of being Blue Beetle. In all honesty, the argument had been long coming. With Jaime deciding to stay in Texas for his studies, and Tye on the other side of the country for his, their relationship had already been strained. Jaime just hoped that after some time to cool down, he could attempt to mend their friendship. 

That being said, the only one he really had at the moment was Bart, and Jaime wanted to protect his friendship with the speedster at all costs. If Jaime lost his friendship with Bart, he would be all alone. It wasn’t that he wasn’t friends with the rest of the team, but Jaime had never grown as close of a bond with anyone in his life as he had with Bart. 

All throughout the Reach invasion, Bart had stuck by his side, even after he’d gone on mode. Bart had never given up on saving him. When their teammates had been ready to blame Jaime for all of the damage that the Ambassador had used his body to cause, Bart hadn’t let Jaime take the fall. He’d stood up for him, and was willing to do everything it took to get Jaime back in control of himself and the scarab. And he had succeeded. He’d saved Jaime, even when Jaime hadn’t been able to save himself. 

Ever since then, Jaime felt like he owed Bart in some way. The younger boy had saved his life, quite literally. Without Bart having come back to the past, Jaime would have been a slave to the Reach, trapped within his own mind for the rest of his life. He felt not only obligated to pay Bart back for everything that he had done, but he also  _ wanted to _ , because of his heart, and because Bart was his friend.

As the older one, and as the more experienced hero, Jaime had more or less taken on the role of Bart’s protector. Not that he thought Bart really needed protecting per say, but Jaime would be damned before he saw any physical or emotional hurt come to the speedster. All Jaime wanted for him was happiness, because Bart deserved it. He was a sweet, caring, kind, good person, and the life that he had been living before venturing to this timeline was not the one that was meant for him. Jaime didn’t yet know what else was in store for Bart in this timeline, but he did know that he was always meant to be a part of the speedster’s life. Even in Bart’s future, they had known one another, and they had met again in this time period, too. Jaime didn’t think it was any type of coincidence. His and Bart’s lives were intrinsically tied. Whatever he did would impact Bart, and whatever choices Bart made would impact him. The roles had changed from tormentor and slave to best friends, but regardless of the timeline, or the roles, Jaime knew that they were a larger part of each others’ lives than either one of them could comprehend. 

With this knowledge, Jaime had vowed that he would do better than his counterparts in other timelines. He would protect Bart, rather than being a danger to his safety. He would be there as a source of comfort, rather than the thing that Bart feared. And he would offer the companionship that Bart had been denied because his moded counterpart had taken away everyone that Bart loved. It was because of his dedication to these promises that Jaime cared so passionately about the speedster. Anything that threatened to prevent Jaime from keeping these vows had his utmost scrutiny cast upon it, and right now, Eduardo Dorado Jr. was at the top of the list. 

It wasn’t that Jaime disliked Ed in any way; in fact, he actually thought the other Latino was quite intelligent, passionate about his work, and had a good sense of humor to boot. It was the fact that he was getting so involved with Bart that was concerning. Every time Jaime saw the two of them together, he couldn’t get rid of the strange feeling that bubbled up inside of him. There was always the overwhelming compulsion for Jaime to insert himself between them, create space, and butt his way into conversations that were not supposed to be any of his business. Every time he saw the two touch, whether it be a hug, high five, or an arm around the shoulders, Jaime found himself grinding his teeth, and having to tell Khaji Da that  _ no _ , they couldn’t use the plasma cannon to ‘vitiate the Eduardo’. It was hard for him to idly stand by and watch as Bart laughed and joked with the metahuman youth counselor without feeling like he was missing out on something important. Jaime wanted to be there to see all of Bart’s happy experiences firsthand. 

The closer friends Eduardo and Bart seemed to become, the stronger and more frequent the soul-consuming feeling inside of Jaime grew. He knew that Bart didn’t trust easily, but if you were one of the few people who could get onto Bart’s good side, he would stick by you and defend you until the day he died. The speedster was dangerously loyal and self-sacrificing. Jaime just didn’t want him to get hurt. If Eduardo ever decided to backstab Bart for whatever reason, Jaime knew it would destroy the younger boy. Bart invested himself one-hundred percent in all of the relationships he established with people. He was a people-pleaser and lived to see everyone he cared about happy, even at his own detriment. Jaime knew because Bart did those exact things in his relationship with him. 

Whenever Bart noticed that Jaime was feeling down, he told corny jokes and insisted that they spend the day doing things that Jaime wanted to do, and things that Bart knew he would enjoy. Bart had always been surprisingly good at reading emotions, and it was impossible to lie to him about how you were feeling. Bart just had a natural knack for reading the mood of a room, and always knew the exact right ways to play off of everyone, so that by the time the speedster left, everyone was in a state of joy. 

Jaime’s one fear when it came to Bart’s budding friendship with Ed was that Bart would be taken advantage of. Jaime did not want to see Bart’s feelings and emotional investments played with. He could tell that the auburn-haired boy was serious about his friendship with Eduardo, but Jaime didn’t know just how committed Ed was to the same cause. Jaime didn’t want to watch Bart fall into a state of depression because Ed had decided one random day that he no longer wanted to associate with him. Based off of previous patterns, Jaime knew that whenever Bart faced any type of disappointment, he bottled everything up and plastered on a fake smile to make everyone else around him think that he was okay. Every time Jaime saw his act like that, he couldn’t help feeling terrible himself. He wanted to prevent a repeat of Bart’s depression-induced behavioral fallback. He wanted to prevent the hurt from coming in the first place. He wanted to protect Bart from having to ever face the emotional trauma of loss and abandonment again. If that meant watching everyone Bart interacted with like a hawk, so be it. Jaime would not let Bart get hurt again. 


	3. Jealousy (3)

** _Jealousy_ ** ** _(3)_ ** ** _:_ ** _ mental uneasiness from suspicion or fear of rivalry, unfaithfulness, etc., as in love or aims. _

Jaime knew it was all over when he heard that one word.  _ Amor.  _

Ever since Bart had crashed into his life, there wasn’t a single thing about himself that Jaime didn’t question. Bart simply existing in the same space and time as he did made Jaime start to feel unease about things he’d been certain of before. His thoughts, feelings, emotions, dreams and ambitions had all changed the second the strange boy with the auburn hair and firey jade eyes spoke to him for the first time. 

Every emotion that Jaime could ever imagine feeling was amped up infinitely whenever Bart was involved. During their first interaction down in the grotto of Mount Justice, Jaime couldn’t ever remember feeling more annoyed. Bart had broken into his locker, stolen his snacks, and then had the gall to bring said snacks down to the memorial place where he and his teammates had been trying to pay their respects, and proceed to eat them obnoxiously. Looking back on it, perhaps Jaime had been a little rough in grabbing Bart and quite literally dragging him across the room, but there had just been something about the speedster in that moment that had made Jaime feel annoyance more passionately than he ever had in his life. 

Another emotion he’d never felt as strongly as he had before meeting Bart was anger. During his first real battle with Bart, they’d fought Tigress, Icicle Jr., Aqualad and the Terror Twins on their own. Seeing Bart get kneed in the gut by Tommy, and then caught in Tigress’ net had only been the catalyst to get his blood boiling. While Bart was an amazing asset to the team in terms of raw energy and speed, he lacked strength. Getting hit by a powerhouse like Tommy was sure to leave a bruise, and the thought of his best friend getting hurt set Jaime off like nothing else. He’d fought as hard as he could to make sure that everyone was down before suggesting a retreat. Jaime didn’t want to risk Bart getting injured any further because they had stupidly tried to take on four enemies without backup. Even after leaving Aqualad’s squad behind, and returning to the cave, Jaime’s anger still hadn’t calmed completely. The follow-up attack had only served to enrage him further. Seeing Bart get hit by Tommy Terror a second time made him take action and use his sonic cannon against the big oaf. In the moment, Jaime had actually been wanting to use something a little stronger, but he knew he couldn’t let his emotions rule his actions, even as intense as they were. When Aqualad finally pulled out the bomb though, it was the last straw. He’d shouted the most offensive thing at the Atlantian that he could think of at the time, which was that Kaldur had betrayed them all, and had actually been considering the scarab’s suggestion to use the plasma cannon. The only thing stopping him had been that stupid deaman’s switch. Knowing now what he didn’t then, Jaime would have gone through with the attack. The only thing he had been thinking was that he couldn’t let his friend get hurt. 

Guilt and desperation had reared their heads during his, Bart’s, Garfield’s and Lagoon Boy’s rescue from the Reach ship. After Bart had liberated him from his pod, the speedster had told him all about the future, and the real reason for his trip to the past. Despite the fact that Jaime was still reeling from the pain of the torture the scientist had inflicted on him, he couldn’t help feeling extreme guilt. He, or at least of version of him, had been responsible for destroying the first thirteen years of Bart’s life. How was he supposed to redeem himself? Surely Bart would always see some part of the monster he could become when he looked at Jaime. The need to earn the speedster’s forgiveness, and get him to see that he could become something different than what Bart expected was what drove him to fight so hard. He’d been so scared to lose the fight with Black Beetle- that he’d be repodded and put on mode- that he’d given Khaji Da total control. The realization that he was doing exactly what the Reach wanted him to do, by giving up his free will to another being, was what snapped him out of it. He was desperate to be anything besides the tyrant Bart had told him he would become. 

Being on mode was by far the most fear-inducing experience Jaime had ever had. Not being able to control his own body- being a prisoner within his own mind- had almost destroyed him. Feeling the Ambassador use his body like a puppet and put words in his mouth made Jaime feel helpless. The Ambassador had used him to manipulate his family, friends and teammates. He’d attacked everyone on the War World and taken half the team prisoner, which he could never forgive himself for. He’d given Bart a concussion with the knock to the head from the crystal key, sonic blasted Barbara, Garfield, Tim, and Karen, crushed Cassie, and given Conner a nasty bruise to the temple. He hadn’t even been able to prevent himself from hurting the people he most cared about. During the attack, he’d been screaming in his head at both the Ambassador and the scarab to stop, but neither had headed his desperate pleas. The only thing worse had been having to watch himself nearly kill Bart. If anything at all would have happened to the speedster, Jaime never would have forgiven himself. He’d cried out as strongly as he could, fought as hard as he could to take back control, but with each step closer he’d taken to Bart, another wave of dread and hopelessness washed over him. No matter how badly he wanted it all to stop, Jaime knew he was going to have to kill his best friend. The Ambassador wouldn’t take any mercies. Jaime had felt his blade tip Bart’s head up and then pull back for the killing blow. His heart clenched, and if he had been in control of his own tear ducts at the time, Jaime knew there would have been tears streaming down his face. Bart meant everything to him, and almost losing him like that had made Jaime finally realize it. 

Bart had wormed his way into not only Jaime’s life, but his heart as well, and the realization had both scared and excited him. Bart was an amazing person, and he had done so much for Jaime, just by being his friend. Bart was fun, loyal, caring, had a quirky sense of humor, and he was very attractive. Every time they hung out together, Bart never failed to get Jaime to smile, or work a laugh from him with a corny joke. Bart balanced him out in a way that had never made Jaime feel as at peace with himself and content as he did when the other teen was around. It was like all of his thoughts slowed at once, and he was only ever able to focus on Bart. 

The way that the younger boy’s auburn hair flickered behind him when he ran, and the way it settled over his forehead in soft waves when he was at rest made a fluttering sensation fill Jaime’s gut and made his heart race whenever he saw it. Making eye-contact with those sparkling chartreuse irises made heat rise to Jaime’s cheeks until he was sure there was steam coming out of his ears. Watching Bart run around in the tight yellow and red material of his spandex suit, accentuating all of the slim curves of musculature, made Jaime feel hot in a way that was extremely embarrassing, especially when the scarab always chimed in to warn him about his increasing hormone levels. Jaime knew he shouldn’t have been noticing all of these details about his male friend, but there was nothing he could do to stop his body’s reactions, or the thoughts telling him that Bart was definitely the most attractive human being he had ever laid eyes on. 

Jaime knew what it all meant, but he refused to acknowledge the signs. Accepting this part of himself would only lead to ridicule and alienation. Besides, Jaime wasn’t even sure he was actually attracted to boys. Bart could have just been a once-in-a-lifetime fluke. Just because Jaime felt attracted to the speedster didn’t mean he was bisexual. Up until Bart, Jaime hadn’t questioned his straightness. He’d only ever liked girls in the past. There was no reason to shatter the image he had of himself, and the image that others had of him over a single boy. 

Dating Traci had been a distraction. When the magic user had asked him to be her boyfriend, Jaime’s feelings for Bart had still had a strong grip around his heart. Jaime hadn’t been able to squash them down, no matter how problematic he knew they would become if anyone ever found out. He’d hoped that by making the conscious effort to have a relationship with a girl, he could make himself forget that he’d ever had feelings for Bart in the first place. He’d tried to convince himself that it was just an infatuation, but no matter how much he tried to invest himself in his relationship with Traci, the emotions, and the feelings just weren’t there. 

Traci had been able to tell. 

“Jaime, I don’t think this is working out.” 

Hearing those words had sent a spike of fear through him. What had he done wrong? He’d been trying as hard as he could to be a good boyfriend, and he’d thought he was pulling off the act pretty well. 

“I just don’t think either of us are really invested in our relationship.” 

Jaime had just blinked back at her. He didn’t know what to say. Traci wasn’t wrong about his side of the relationship, but he hadn’t known she didn’t have romantic feelings for him either. 

“What do you mean?” he’d asked.

Traci crossed her arms. “I’ve seen the way you look at Bart. You haven’t told me, and I don’t know whether it’s out of fear, or denial, or whatever, but I get it. You don’t love me. That’s okay. I like you Jaime, but I don’t think I love you either. We’re both pretending to be people we’re not.” 

Jaime wasn’t sure how it was possible, but waves of both dread and relief washed over him at the same time. If Traci had been able to tell that he had feelings for Bart just by observing his behavior, who else had come to the same conclusion? The point of dating Traci at all was so that people wouldn’t know about his homosexual feelings towards the speedster. He was terrified of people finding out. But at the same time, he was happy that Traci understood the situation for what it was. She wasn’t mad at him, because she had been pretending too.

“You’re bi, too?” Jaime tried to ignore the spike of fear lancing through him. He was really hoping he’d been reading the situation correctly. 

Traci nodded, and the fear rushed out of him. “There’s this girl, Natasha, that I’ve been crushing on for awhile.” If Jaime wasn’t mistaken, he could see a light blush on her cheeks. 

Jaime smiled. “Just friends then? I think we both deserve another chance.” 

Traci returned the smile. “Just friends.” She held her hand out for Jaime to shake, and they both laughed as Jaime took it. 

“I hope you have good luck with Natasha,” Jaime told her, kindly. 

The magic-user blushed again. “And I hope you’re ready to admit your feelings to Bart. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I think he likes you, too.” 

Jaime hadn’t ever felt as light as he did at that moment. If Bart really did have feelings for him, then he had nothing to fear. 

His and Traci’s breakup had been about two weeks ago. Since then, Jaime had been trying to build up the courage to talk to Bart. He wanted to take Traci’s word for what it was and believe that Bart actually did have feelings for him, but there was still the doubting voice in the back of his mind. If he went into things assuming Bart felt the same, he would only be setting himself up for disappointment if Bart were to reject him. He knew he had to take the risk eventually, but he wanted to spare his own feelings too. 

Jaime thought he’d found the perfect opportunity to talk to Bart about it after a team mission. Everyone had fought hard in their battle against Onslaught, and Jaime knew the Hub would be mostly empty, meaning that he and Bart could find some relative privacy. After returning to the Premier Building, everyone had split up to take showers and get out of their sweaty uniforms. Jaime had been planning to stop Bart by the locker rooms after they were both finished changing, but his plans had been shattered upon overhearing a conversation he knew he wasn’t meant to. 

“Just tell me how you feel.” That was Ed’s voice.

“Do I really have to? It’s kind of embarrassing.” Bart sounded nervous.

“Oh come on, Amor!” Jaime froze. Had Ed really just said what Jaime thought he’d heard? 

“Ed!” Bart hissed. 

Jaime couldn’t see what was going on. He’d been eavesdropping, so he’d been wanting to stay out of sight. Now he was really wanting to see what was going on. Dread was sinking in his stomach like a stone. There was no way he had just heard that. 

“Be quiet!” Bart continued on. “Someone will hear us.”

Jaime heard Ed laugh. “Oh Cariño!” The other Latino carried on loudly. “Amorcito!” 

Jaime felt like he was going to be sick. Ed was using pet names for  _ his _ Bart. Jaime’s heart clenched. He couldn’t hear any more of this. 

As quickly as he could, Jaime ran out of the locker room, making sure neither Eduardo or Bart saw him. He couldn’t believe he’d been too late. 


	4. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The line between jealousy and love is a thin one.

** _“True love cannot be defined by any means. It’s a cluster of adjectives; it’s crazy, passionate, complicated, painful- but most importantly, true love is real.” - Unknown_ **

Jaime knew he was being selfish, but he couldn’t help himself. Now that he knew to look for it, the fact that Bart and Ed were a couple was blindingly obvious to him. He couldn’t stand watching the two together. Every time he had to see Bart laugh at something Eduardo said or see the two hug and smile at one another, Jaime felt his heart clench. He knew it was wrong to wish that they would break up, but Jaime couldn’t help thinking that Eduardo just wasn’t right for Bart. All Jaime had ever wanted for the speedster was for him to find someone who would treat him right and love him the way he deserved to be loved. Jaime knew that if he were ever the lucky person who got the chance to be Bart’s, he would move the sun and the stars to ensure his happiness. 

There was no denying that Jaime loved him. That was why it hurt so much. Jaime had so much love to give, but Bart wasn’t his to give it to. Eduardo had beaten him to the punch. Now Jaime had to keep everything bottled up inside, because he couldn’t risk hurting Bart. Jaime couldn’t say anything to Ed without Bart catching wind of it, and if Bart really did want to be with Eduardo, Jaime couldn’t take that away from him. As much as it hurt Jaime, seeing Bart happy was more important. 

It was extremely hard to go on day by day, pretending that he was okay. In reality, Jaime was anything but. His heart was shattered, and he didn’t think he could smile if he tried. After first overhearing the conversation in the locker room, Jaime had cried for hours. He had finally worked up the courage to admit how he felt, but once again, Ed had stolen it from him. 

Jaime just didn’t understand why Ed seemed to dislike him so much. No matter what Jaime did, Ed always seemed to get there first. He would never be able to measure up. Looking at the situation from an outside perspective, Jaime supposed it made sense. Bart wanted to date Ed because Jaime was only second best in comparison. As much as the realization hurt, it was the only explanation Jaime could come up with. 

It was unfortunate that Bart seemed to catch on to Jaime’s moping attitude. He hadn’t wanted anyone to see how upset he was, but he had never been able to lie to Bart about the things that really mattered. 

“What’s wrong, Blue?” Bart asked him.

“Nothing,” Jaime sighed. He really didn’t want to have to explain himself. 

“Jaime, I know when you’re lying. Something is bothering you. I can tell.” 

Jaime averted his eyes. He couldn’t have this conversation with Bart. He couldn’t stand projecting himself onto Bart when the speedster had finally found happiness. He wouldn’t ruin it for Bart. 

“I’m okay, really.” 

Bart crossed his arms. “Is this about your breakup with Traci? She told me you guys decided to be just friends. I’m sorry, Blue.” 

Jaime shook his head. “It’s something else.” 

Bart uncrossed his arms and took a step towards Jaime. He gently placed a palm on Jaime’s shoulder. “You can tell me, Jaime. I want to help you, but I can’t if you don’t tell me what’s upsetting you.” 

Jaime swallowed down the lump in his throat. He could already tell he was going to regret this. “Someone I really liked recently got into a relationship.” 

Bart blinked back at him. He withdrew his hand from Jaime’s shoulder. Jaime knew he would regret it. 

“Oh. I’m sorry, Blue.” Jaime thought Bart sounded choked up. But it didn’t make any sense. Why would Bart be upset? Jaime was the one who had had his heart broken. 

“I went through that not too long ago, actually.” Now Bart was laughing. Jaime was beyond confused. 

“I didn’t realize Ed had been dating someone else,” Jaime said. 

Bart tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?” 

“You and Ed,” Jaime said. Hearing it come out of his own mouth nearly made him sick, but he soldiered on for Bart’s sake. 

Bart scrunched his brows together. “Me and Ed?” he asked.

Jaime didn’t want to have to repeat himself. “You and Ed are dating. I heard you in the locker room. I’m sorry if you didn’t want anyone to know.” 

A huge smile broke out on Bart’s face. “Oh my god!” He started laughing. “You thought Ed and I were together?! No! You misheard. We were just messing around.” 

“But I heard him call you amor,” Jaime said. He felt like he was going to cry. 

Bart shook his head. “Ed was just being a jerk. I told him about a crush awhile ago and he’s been teasing me about it.” 

“By calling you amor?” 

Bart blushed. “I might have said the guy I like speaks Spanish.” He swept his foot across the floor in embarrassment. 

Jaime’s heart leapt in his chest. Either he was reading the situation wrong, or Bart had just admitted something very important. He’d said the  _ guy  _ he liked spoke Spanish. As far as Jaime was aware, the only two boys Bart knew that spoke Spanish were Ed and himself, and if Bart wasn’t dating Ed… 

“You like me?!” Jaime couldn’t contain it anymore. He had to know. 

Bart looked as though he would die of embarrassment. He gave a tiny nod. 

Jaime wanted to leap for joy. Bart really did like him. On impulse, he surged forward and kissed Bart. He was so happy he couldn’t control himself. All he had wanted for so long now was to be able to express to Bart how he felt, and now he knew he could. 

Despite the surprise, Bart melted right into it. His hands went up to tangle in Jaime’s hair, and the older teen’s own wrapped around Bart’s waist tightly as he pulled Bart as close to him as he could. 

When they broke apart, Bart asked, “So I’m guessing that means you like me too?” 

Jaime smiled at him. “Will another kiss prove it to you?” 

Bart reconnected their lips. Jaime hummed happily. All along he’d had nothing to worry about. Bart didn’t like Ed. He liked Jaime. Perhaps even loved him. It was crazy to think that Jaime had felt so strongly in his love for Bart that he’d jumped to such a conclusion. 

“I can’t believe you thought Ed and I were together,” Bart commented when they broke away again. “You were jealous?” 

Jaime couldn’t help the ashamed blush that coated his cheeks. 

“You totally were!” Bart crowed. 

Jaime glared at him. “You have no idea how hurt I was when I overheard your conversation in the locker room. I’ve been crushing on you for years, Bart.” 

The speedster immediately looked sorry. “I know how that must have sounded, but I’ve loved you practically since we met, Jaime. We were both stupid not to tell each other earlier. I confided in Ed because I wanted advice on how to tell you. He’s the only other gay guy I know. Talking to the girls about it would have been weird.” 

Now Jaime felt bad. He wanted to make it up to Bart. 

“I’m just glad we got here in the end,” Jaime said. 

Bart’s frown turned into a smile. “Me too. Does this mean we’re boyfriends now?” 

Jaime grabbed the front of Bart’s shirt and pulled him close so that his lips brushed the speedster’s own when he replied, “Does this answer your question?” before dragging him into a loving kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. I really don't know how I feel about this fic. I didn't want to make Jaime seem like the bad guy, but writing jealousy is really hard. I'm sorry if this didn't turn out well.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think? This probably isn't very well written, but I wanted to explore some emotions here, because love isn't perfect. Jealousy is such a nasty emotion, but one that I feel can often muddle up love and how we view ourselves and those we love, as well as those we are jealous of.


End file.
